The Gordon Ramsay Hawker Challenge - A Bad Idea, And a Better Way to Engage a Michelin Star Chef

This is another topic I have been avoiding for a week now, as I originally thought it would just pass by like any other weekly water cooler topic. But, evidently it has not.

I wanted to avoid talking about it as I felt such triviality did not warrant a genuine blog post, but with this latest Gordon Ramsay hawker challenge, I am compelled to put this down.

Sergeant Chicken Rice - The Return of Sergeant Kiang in Hougang Kopitiam Food Court

I have been waiting to write this post for some time now, almost 10 months in fact, and the reason for this is twofold.

For one, I have hardly, if ever reviewed any food from a food court, and the reason is simple. Nothing really special ever comes out from food courts, and most of the time, you are getting overpriced but inferior hawker fare.

iPad Menu Food Ordering - Dehumanizing The Dining Experience

As more and more F&B eateries in Singapore are faced with rising operating costs, certain eateries are turning to technology and gadgets to replace the human element.

One of the current trends is to take away the waiter and replace he or she with an iPad as an ordering alternative. This will inevitable reduce headcount and save costs in the long run.

Making Sembawang White Bee Hoon at Home

I blogged about this tasty little dish a while back, and since then, I have returned a few times only to find that I have to wait a long time because of the popularity of this eatery.

I thought that instead of taking the trouble to go all the way to Sembawang, that I should endeavor to recreate this dish at home. That way I can have it anytime I want, and save on the cost of eating outside, which is inflating like crazy.

The Ultimate Bolognaise

This past week, I was twice asked about making fresh sauces for pasta, as apparently, there are a number of folks here who would dearly make a fresh pasta sauce, but do not know how.

Inevitably, a lot of people will fall back on bottled sauces to make their pasta, and I always say this is the worst way to eat pasta.

Broken Earth - A Pop Album Made with Just an iPad and iPhone Earphones

Finally, after almost a year since my last musical work, I have completed Broken Earth, and it should be out in all music digital stores including iTunes, Amazon etc by the time you read this.

It is also my first ever vocal album, having done only instrumental music in the past. Consisting of 8 songs, I touch on various topics and things that I have been meaning to get off my chest.

La Petite Cuisine at Upper Thomson

I hardly eat out these days, especially at fine dining establishments. The prices that are being charged these days are bordering on madness, and I don't blame it on the owners either.

Rentals have skyrocketed to a ridiculous rate that most owners these days have to cover that aspect, and that means food prices have to go up as well. Well, blame it on you know who.

Zhen Ming Prawn Noodles

Sometimes, there are surprises around the corner when you least expect it, and just this week, one of these gems just simply popped out of nowhere, and is in fact, quite near to where I stay.

Out of one part of Ang Mo kio, is this humble little hawker stall that serves, IMHO, the best prawn noodles, better than the Bedok one that I recently raved about.

Zhen Ming actually started in Tampines before moving to Serangoon and finally, landed here just on the outskirts of Keban Bahru.

The owner, William Chan, was kind enough to share with me that he has been constantly improving his recipe over the years, and was quick to point out that his present dish is far different from his original prawn noodles. And so much better.

Black Sugar Cane

One of the key ingredients is the use of black sugar cane to flavor his prawn stock, as opposed to rock sugar which many other hawkers use. Black sugar cane elicits a more natural sweetness and he was very proud to say that he does not use any form of MSG at all.

In addition, he also use a hen for his stock and includes red dates to balance the flavors, and this is in addition to the classic use of pork ribs.

Prawn Noodles Soup

So what was the verdict? Well, it was simply incredible. From the first spoon of prawn broth until the last, the whole dish was addictive and unstoppable. Well it had less of a prawn flavor, I actually preferred this balance of pork and prawn flavors, and the beautiful color of the soup clearly verified how good this stock was.

It was robust, flavorsome and just the right amount of natural sweetness that came together in a perfect brew. The prawns were also nicely cooked and generous. And the pork ribs were actually Brazilian sourced.

Unlike Australian pork, Brazilian pork had a lighter color and a more tender bite and a better fat content that almost matched the best prime ribs in bak kut teh. And yes, he cooked it under low heat to create the perfect pork texture.

Dry Version

The dry version was less spectacular, but that was because it did not have the impact of the spectacular broth to flavor the noodles, but still, it was hearty and robust and you simply cannot go wrong with the wonderful pork ribs from Brazil, soup or dry.

Forget the Adam roads, the Blancos, the Hoe Nams, the best prawn noodle is here. Blanco has been overrated and the prawn stock has nothing when compared to Zhen Ming, and Mr Chan has a true passion for making his prawn noodles, and that itself is more than admirable.

Unless there is another more passionate hawker than Mr Chan when it comes to this classic Singapore dish, my vote goes to Zhen Ming.

Zhen Ming
Blk 162, Ang Mo Kio Ave 4
#01-04